


Forward Planning

by PepperCat



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Drunkenness, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Matchmaking, Swearing, casual dismissal of coming out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-23 22:04:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13199493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperCat/pseuds/PepperCat
Summary: Look, if you're not going to be around, it's important to plan for the effects of your absence.





	Forward Planning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sister_Grimm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sister_Grimm/gifts).



> A quick and... well, possibly not _actually_ fluffy, but maybe fluff-adjacent piece, for someone who's had a long day or two. Thanks for letting me ramble about this, way the hell back in June. I'm sorry I'm slow. :)

It's late at night and it's kind of cold and Axel knows he is running on Dutch courage and that is okay, because he absolutely needs to get this out right the first time and as long as he isn't so buzzed he can't read a guy he'll be okay. And he's not that buzzed.

He bangs on the door, and it gets jerked open after a minute and he grins up at the man standing in the doorway.

"Hey," all giggling and bright, all nerves, "I hear you smack your dates around a bit, so I was--"

And he's on the ground with the center of his face all red and bright and hot, stickiness running from his nose into his mouth, down to his ears. He's seeing stars all up past the burning-out flicker of the streetlight, all swimmy and bright in front of the clouds.

"Fuck," he announces dizzily. His mouth hurts when he speaks. There's someone standing over him. Big guy. And then he's being grabbed by his shirt and lifted, his head rolling back and loose, and he holds up both hands and he's laughing again, a little, and the blood's dripping into his mouth as he gets his feet under himself on the dirty sidewalk.

Leonard Snart looks _pissed_.

"Guess." Axel catches his breath. "Guess I heard wrong?"

Snart doesn't belt him again. Axel rolls his head from side to side and discovers he's not going to throw up, plus he doesn't think his teeth are broken. Fucking awesome.

"Walker," Len says like it has very good odds of maybe not being the last thing Axel _ever_ hears, but it could be the last thing he hears for a week. "Where's Hartley?"

"He's fine." Axel lifts one hand and puts it vaguely over the center of his face, hisses at the pain. "He's okay. I just needed--" He flaps the hand at Snart. "You. Reaction. Hitting."

Snart's looking pretty fucking disgusted, with is about what Axel guessed it would take to get the guy to lose his temper and lash out. He thinks of spitting and since some of it might land on Snart he doesn't do that and instead wipes his hand across his mouth, clears away some of the blood.

"Look," he says. "I'm-- we're gonna find my dad. I'm gonna go with him, then. When he's better." Snart doesn't say anything. "So, look, you're not the kinda guy who'd smack his date around, okay." He wipes the blood away again. "You _really_ need to start moving on the Piper thing."

Snart's just staring.

Axel blinks and waits.

Snart lets go of his collar and Axel staggers for a second, gets back on his feet. His head's still swimming.

"You here for Piper?"

Axel shakes his head and _whoa_ that sets things spinning. "He doesn't know. Mean, I ain't gonna lie if he asks, but fuck's he gonna ask about?" Snart raises an eyebrow, tiny bit. "No, he's seen me come home like this before. No big deal." Well, Piper'd worry, so Axel's gonna aim for sneaking in and getting some ice on his face before Piper wakes up and sees him, but still. He can blow it off. "Also, he finds out about this he'd be so sup-- surp-- surprised that I am thinking of _consequences_ that he'd forget to be mad." He cackles a little.

"How much have you been drinking?"

"You're not scary," Axel says promptly, stepping back, and then adds "It was just booze. --doesn't matter. The _point_ is--"

"Walker," and Snart is just getting into some version of _go home and sleep it off_ that Axel has heard like a _million_ times and Axel just can't let him get started.

"No," Axel says, and then, "shut up, just--" Snart's _looking_ at him and he hurries on. "Shit I'm sorry but-- shut up and listen, okay? If he doesn't have a whatever, boyfriend, something, he gets cranky and when he's cranky no-one wants to deal with him and it's just a fucking _spiral_ and he's all alone so just-- step the fuck up, okay? Maybe it doesn't work out, but give him a fucking _chance_."

And Snart actually gives him an _answer_. Mean, not a yes or a no, but at least talking back about it kind of sideways. He wasn't thinking he'd get an answer.

"I'm busy with work, Walker. Not much time for dating."

"Yeah," Axel says, giggling. "'cause everyone knows _you_ can't handle schedules. Just-- be nice to him, okay?" He runs the back of his hand over his face again, and it comes away smeared and tacky, so at least the blood's starting to clot. He's not sure if his nose is broken but he can breathe through his mouth so it's okay. "I mean he _likes_ you. Seriously no idea why, you are like the biggest straight man I've ever seen--"

Snart does that thing where he looks at you harder than he was looking before. Axel snorts.

"In the _comedy_ sense. Seriously. You're just not funny." He shakes his head. "'n'm pretty sure that's why you didn't do the Christmas thing with Jesse. He's just-- woulda been hard working with someone that funny when you're not, right?"

Snart looks like someone's going to regret the next words out of their mouth. "Your _point_ , Walker."

"...right!" Axel scrubs his hands through his hair, feels it get all tacky. Fuck. "He's a Rogue. He's one of _your_ Rogues. He's got your back. He's sharp, he's cute as fucking hell, and he is _so_ into you. Like he's quiet about it but seriously I could say your name and he--"

" _Walker_."

Axel laughs. His head hurts, but he's okay with it. "Just _think_ about him," he says, as close to crooning as he can manage with his nose all stuffed. "Pipes is a good guy. I mean he's fucking crazy, but he's a good guy." He hawks up a mouthful of blood and spits, and his head feels a little clearer. Not like he can breathe through his nose yet, exactly, but like there'll be room for him to do it later. "So pay _attention_ , flatter him, _and_ \--" he holds up a finger-- "'f he says something's a bad idea he means you're moving too fast and he's lost the plot, he does _not_ mean he doesn't wanna do it."

"Really," Snart says all flat, but Axel just nods.

"Cross my heart," he says. "I mean he's a guy who picked a fight with the Flash, and quit being Richie Rich because he thought it mattered his parents knew who he fucked, you wouldn't _think_ 'bad idea' means 'I'm not into that'. But it _does_ mean 'slow the fuck down'." _That_ was a rough talk, and Snart doesn't get to hear it, but Axel's okay with sharing that sometimes Pipes just needs a minute to remember he's not getting fucked over again. "Okay?"

"Walker," Snart says like he's about bored of being patient, "go the fuck home."

And Snart is glaring at him, but he's seen worse glares, so that means something else is on the man's mind. Which is good. Snart's slow and careful sometimes, boring as fuck, but he's not stupid and if he's maybe got Piper on his mind he might get smart about it.

Axel laughs and lifts up both his hands. "I'm going," he says, turning and maybe swaying a bit but only a bit, and he'll be fine to get home. He's walked through worse. Looks over his shoulder and grins. "You just keep him in mind, Ice Dad. He's worth your time."


End file.
